<div>Something to think about: this project is fundamentally about creating low-cost CNC machines and better educational resources for fields that are lacking in them (like controls). Given that robotics is traditionally a military field because nobody else had the money to manufacture them or hire a lab full of robotics grad students, this project seems like it&#39;s an explicit de-militarization and democratization of robotics. That&#39;s the express goal of the maker community, and the MENTOR project exists to continue down that path.</div>
<div><br></div><div>The military will always be able to find people to work on robotics projects, but the rest of the country could very well miss out; if there were no maker movement, we&#39;d still have UAVs over pakistan but we&#39;d have no occucopter.</div>
<div><br></div><div><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Apr 2, 2012 at 7:15 PM, Mitch Altman <span dir="ltr">&lt;<a href="mailto:maltman23@hotmail.com">maltman23@hotmail.com</a>&gt;</span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">

<div><div dir="ltr">

It&#39;s official. I&#39;m greatly saddened that I won&#39;t be able to help at this year&#39;s Maker Faires after they applied for and accepted a grant from DARPA.<br><br>I look forward to working and playing at Maker Faire again, after they are no longer associated with DARPA.<br>
<br> <br> <img alt="" width="225" height="175"><br> &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp </div></div>
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